Armand Traore

Name Armand Traore
Born October 08, 1989
Paris
France
Position Defender
Squad Number 30
Previous Club(s) Monaco
Joined Arsenal August 01, 2006
Arsenal Debut W.B.A. (a)
Carling Cup 3rd Round
October 24, 2006,
Won 2-0


30. Armand Traore


Armand was perhaps the player who gained most from the Carling Cup run in 2006/07. He started every game in the run apart from the opening rubber at West Brom and never looked out of place, even in the Final against Chelsea.

The powerful, quick left back is now a veteran of two pre-season training camps in Austria. Signed from Monaco in 2006, Armand has represented France at Under-17 level and was called up for the Under-18s at their European Championship last season.

My Year

April

Armand had cause to celebrate as he earned a first Premier League start against Liverpool in early April.

September

Armand was named in the starting line-up for the 2-0 Carling Cup win over Newcastle and provided a perfect cross from which Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal the lead. The Frenchman impressed throughout the game and looked a danger going forward as well as solid at the back. The young left back had earlier in the month scored a fine goal in a Reserve team fixture against Birmingham.

August

Armand didn’t feature for the first team in August, making just one appearance on the bench for the Champions League qualifying tie first leg against Sparta Prague. However, he did score what will probably be one of the goals of the season - a thunderous 40-yard strike for the Reserves against Fulham.

March

A memorable month for Armand as he made the first-team bench for the Premiership win over Reading and the Champions League draw with PSV Eindhoven. He was unused on both occasions but it represented a remarkable rise from schoolboy to first-team fringe player for the 17-year-old. The young Frenchman also played in front of an FA Youth Cup record crowd in the Semi-Final first leg win over Manchester United at Emirates Stadium. His month ended on a down note as he was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the dying seconds of the Reserves’ 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

February

One of the young stars of this season’s Carling Cup, Armand’s month was always going to be about that date with Chelsea in Cardiff. It may not have gone to plan for Arsenal but the 17-year-old Frenchman turned in an assured performance for 65 minutes before being replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. The left back’s performance earned him his FA Cup debut four days later when the Gunners were knocked out by Blackburn. Armand’s month had earlier been in doubt when he limped off after nine minutes of the FA Youth Cup tie with Bristol city. His young team-mates went on to win 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

January

A breakthrough month for Armand as he played a vital role in Arsenal’s progression to the Carling Cup Final. The 17-year-old played 87 minutes of the incredible 6-3 victory at Liverpool before making a full appearance in the Semi-Final first leg against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The Frenchman’s performance earned him another start in the second leg but his game was cut short on 63 minutes as he limped off with severe cramp. Armand also played a full 90 minutes as Arsenal Under-18s beat Hull City 2-1 in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.